


Gone With The Wind

by naturallesbain



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26742901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naturallesbain/pseuds/naturallesbain
Summary: What if Ponyboy died from the church fire instead?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	Gone With The Wind

It was a bustling night, the gang at the Curtis house hyping each other up the best they could given the circumstance. 

Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest out of the brothers, had been injured in a church fire. His back had broken when the roof of the burning church hit him.

Because of this, the energy had gone down in the house, the sadness overtaking Darrel Curtis and Sodapop Curtis, their tears rolling silently down their faces as they tried their best to pull themselves together. 

It was the night of the rumble, Sodapop and Darrel were both going to fight for their brother as Ponyboy fought for them. They had stayed silent nearly the entire time, letting Johnny, Two-Bit, and Steve make the noise. Part of them was thankful for the noise, but part of them had enough of it because without the sound of pages turning or quiet mumbling, the noise wasn't noise at all. 

_

With a few whoops and energy-boosting hits to each other's shoulders, the gang headed out to the lot where the rumble would take place. Sodapop and Darrel were focused, their eyes scanning socs in front of them, promising their brother that they would hurt them. Each punch would be for him, each tumble would be for him. 

The gang made the socs hurt. They punched hard and unforgiving, letting the blood, mud, rain, and sweat drip down them without care as they pummeled the socs to the ground. 

In the end, the rumble was victorious, the socs withdrew and the greasers were left cheering and playfighting with one another as the adrenaline from the fight ran high. 

Not for the Curtis brothers though. They ran to Buck's car, nearly running over people and stoplights as they rushed to the hospital to see their brother. Ponyboy wasn't given long to live by doctors, and if that was true, the two wanted to be with him for as long as possible. 

_

When they arrived, they nearly ran down the hallway to see their brother. They paused for a moment in the doorway, preparing themselves for the worst, but when they opened the door and saw the steady rise and fall of their brother's chest, they sighed. 

Sodapop was the first to enter the room, limping as the adrenaline started to wear off. 

"Hey buddy, how're ya doin? Doctors treatin' ya nice? See any hot nurses?" Sodapop asked as he sat down at the chair besides Ponyboy's bed, Darrel coming up behind him. 

"We won, little buddy, we kicked them socs good," Darrel said in a shaky voice. Ponyboy's eyes were barely open, his breathing shallow, the tube in his nose no doubt doing most of the work. 

"S-stop f-fighting. Ain't no use for fighting when you've got other things t-to worry about," Ponyboy stuttered out, his breathing picking up at the energy that it took to speak. The pain in his back unbearable, every movement, every breath hurt. 

Darrel and Sodapop just looked at each other. They had no words for a moment before Darrel spoke. 

"We need ya to keep fightin' little colt," Darrel said, "We need ya to keep bein' strong." 

A moment of silence filled the room before Ponyboy spoke. 

"Ya need to keep goin' when I'm gone," Ponyboy said softly.

"Ya ain't gon' die, hun," Soda said with silent tears streaming down his face. 

"If I'm gonna go, then God's gonna have to fight me," Ponyboy stuttered out, tears leaking down his face. The two brothers chuckled and Soda went to wipe his face when they heard feet padding down the hall. 

"Sounds like the gang here, huh, little buddy," Darrel laughed out. Ponyboy managed a weak smile as everyone else in the gang came into the room. They all looked tattered and beaten, but they were alive. 

"Hey, horseman, how ya holdin' up?" Two-Bit asked Ponyboy. 

"Eh, c-could be better. What about you Two-Bit? You up to be given' a back massage anytime soon?" Ponyboy said, which earned a few chuckles from the gang. 

The gang lapsed into silence, any lingering tension leaving the room as they all basked in comfortable silence. 

"I'm sorry guys. I-I ain't strong enough. I'll say hi to them for you," Ponyboy said, "They-they'll be proud." 

"What? Ponyboy?!" Soda said worriedly. 

Ponyboy had gone limp, his body starting to cool as the boys all cried out. Sodapop stroked his hair with tears streaming down his face; sobs wrenching out of his body. 

"Please don't go, please don't be gone," Sodapop whispered, "Please." 


End file.
